#the way. That sort of thing. Someone's gonna cancel me for this take but you can't cancel me. I'm too sexy and unhinged.

[furby-organist]

// I've been 2 days in Japan and I can already tell it's gonna influence my world building. There should be a part of Hell that's inspired by here but like only the bad parts, but worse.

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Okay, so I'm gonna contribute to the discourse as someone who did research at both Khao Khaew and the now demolished Dusit Zoo, both part of the Zoological Parks Association Under Royal Patronage (ZPA). And as someone familiar with the workings of AZA zoos as a contrast.

I will concede that on one hand, standards and practices leave a lot to be desired. Unfortunately part of it is connected to the same social norms that have allowed JJ Market to continue the exotic pet trade, animal cafes and roadside zoos to proliferate, and people to own trendy dog breeds that clearly don't belong in Bangkok. And it's what leads to a lot of stereotypic and distressed behaviors passed off as cute (including but not limited to Moo Deng); this is before the toxic element of social media is added to the mix.

There's also economics. Yes, Thailand is technically an industrialized country, but in the same way that Indonesia and Vietnam are (contrast with Singapore, which is proportionately ahead of most Western countries). It's important to see what's between those gleaming skyscrapers. And that is a contributing factor to a lot of resource shortfalls for the zoos themselves; that's not getting into COVID and the ripple effect of closing Dusit Zoo without an alternative in place.

In that regard, the damning thing is that the standards of ZPA zoos are actually leaps and bounds ahead of not just the country but the region (minus Singapore; I would argue that it's actually unproductive to bring its zoo up as a comparison). Like look at Pata and the now defunct Tiger Temple; places that Westerners reveled in as late as the 00s. At least in ZPA case, they have also done essential conservation work; especially for clouded leopards, hornbills, and sun bears.

That doesn't make it any less WTF when I see a lot of clout-chasing vids that

Still part of me can't help but get defensive at the manner of fixation from a primarily western crowd. Both from those who use Western/Industrialized zoos as a way to contrast, as well as the PETA-types.

I do *not* think you yourself are being racist. If anything it's paternalistic to assume that a zoo in Thailand can't be held to higher standards. *However*, I have found a very patronizing mentality among many other western critics that does veer into racism frequently. You are already familiar with the way anti-zoo folks will take something out of context to fit their agenda; now force that through an othering lens.

At the same time, I will concede Thais are glossing over issues and practices when they rush to defend KKZ. Considering the context of how they are approached, I empathize with why they are defensive. But many do downplay and refuse to tackle the aforementioned social norm in how animal husbandry is viewed by wider populace.

TLDR: KKZ and the other ZPA branches have a ton of issues, a lot of those issues are socially systemic, and there should be pressure to reform. At the same time, it shouldn't get canceled, especially considering the important bts work it does and especially the immediate alternatives. And that pressure to reform should be accompanied by resources.

Hey there I really appreciate you sharing your research into the facilities! My intention of the posts has never been to "cancel" the zoo or to dictate their protocols. I don't believe in any sort of western dictation to other countries.

Honestly, I completely understand the defensiveness towards criticism of the handling of Moo Deng - she's an icon, she's brought in millions of dollars into the Thailand economy and the zoo's profits. Tourists are travelling all around the world to see her!

Although it has gotten to the point where their defensiveness is veering into delusion, with people insisting that pygmy hippos love it when you smack them and chase them around so it's fine actually... but I digress...

And I'm sure that the keeper thinks what he's doing is completely fine and not an issue. And if it generates clicks and views, that's good for the zoo, right? So why would they see any point in changing their practises?

I guess my hope is that maybe they might use those millions of dollars to improve conditions for the animals and the staff, provide resources for collaboration with zoos like Singapore Zoo and give keepers more resources to review and improve current pracises.

But they won't do that if their current poor animal husbandry practises are reinforced with clout and feverant defense of the keepers (it's actually kind of amazing how loyal people are to this one keeper!)

So now they have money and potentially more resources from this whole thing - but they're probably not going to use it to change practises that got them that money in the first place.

Anyway, I agree with your points and you've summed it up well!

[jennay]

Let me take care of you

Request: I don't know if you know, but Noah kind of lost his voice during a concert(?) when you can, can you write that the reader flew out to take care of him or just to be there with him? :c ♥️ You choose whether they're friends or in a relationship, whatever you feel. Don't overwhelm yourself, precious; we love you more♥️♥️

No warnings

An: sorry I put a friends to lovers trope. 😅 thank you for this request. I loved it.

Words 2800ish

Noah Sebastian x reader

Noah Master list

You had always been terrified of heights. The mere thought of being high up in the air made your palms sweat and your stomach churn.

So, how you boarded a plane and flew for more than half a minute was a mystery to you. But you did it for Noah, your best friend, who was going through a rough patch. Your sneaky self conspired with the other three men to visit without Noah knowing.

He'd lost his voice and had to cancel several shows, which made him feel guilty and depressed.

He kept blaming himself for not taking better care of his health even though the others assured him that it was not his fault and that he would recover soon.

You had booked a car online, but when you got to the rental center, you faced an unexpected problem. The vehicle you had reserved was unavailable, and the counter clerk seemed clueless about what to do. He asked you to wait in the lobby while he talked to his manager, promising to sort things out as soon as possible. You felt your blood boil with frustration. You hated waiting - especially when you had paid for something in advance. You glared at the clerk as he walked away, wishing you could zap him with your eyes. You grabbed your phone and dialed Noah's number, hoping to check on him. You waited for him to pick up but heard a different voice on the other end instead.

"Hello, this is Noah's assistant. How can I direct your call?" It was Jolly; his thick accent and cheerful tone always made you smile.

"Hey, Jolly. It's me." You chuckled. "Is Noah paying you well? You seem to be working very hard lately."

He laughs back, "He doesn't pay me shit! I'm just that good of a friend."

"Well, speaking of the devil, where is he?" You ask.

"Sleeping... I saw it was you so I answered for him. Are you here yet?" He whispers, and you hear the sound of a door closing. "Sorry, that was loud. I don't want to blow it. Must escape into the other room." He says, giggling like a child.

"I'm in the same state…city even, but there seems to be some fucking confusion with the car I rented, and it's taking everything in me not to lose my shit right now," you say with a sigh. "Why is this happening?"

You run your hand down your face, feeling lost and not knowing what to do. "Ah, the classic 'I rented a car, and now I'm stuck' situation. You know what they say: 'Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.'" He quips, "Do you need someone to come get you, or are you going to wait it out?"

"OK, well, nobody says that except you. I'm gonna wait. I hate not having my own way around." You pause when you hear your name called at the front desk.

He laughs, "No, I'm pretty sure that's how it's said, y/n. My English is good."

You roll your eyes, letting out a small giggle. "I gotta go. I'll call you when I get to the hotel. Like, I'll actually call your phone."

"See you soon. OK, this is the part where I say goodbye, right?" He laughs.

"Yes, goodbye!" You click end and start toward the desk, wondering how you ended up with the strangest people being some of your closest friends.

After a long, exhausting drive, you finally arrived at the hotel's parking lot. You took out your cell phone and called Jolly, hoping he would come down and help you with your luggage.

You waited and waited and waited…

"I'm coming." He said abruptly and hung up.

You stared at your phone in disbelief. What was that? Did he just cut you off without even saying goodbye? What if you had something important to tell him?

You got out of the car, putting on your sunglasses. You grabbed your backpack from the back seat and closed the car door, leaning against it as you waited for Jolly to show up.

You started to doubt your decision to come here; if Noah was sick, would he appreciate your surprise visit? You shook your head; of course, he would.

You feel excited when you see the tall Swede walking towards you with a goofy smile; he opens his arms wide, and you run to him, hugging him tightly.

"You made it!" He exclaimed.

You pulled away, grinning, "Barely. I think I only cried once on the plane, so that's an improvement, " you joke while adjusting your bag. "Lead the way," you say, gesturing to the door.

"Someone's eager," he teased, opening the door. "I'm excited to see everyone. I miss you guys so much," you said with exaggerated emotion.

He followed behind you as you sprinted up the stairs. "Oh, come on. Don't lie to me. You're dying to see Noah... Just admit it," he said, poking fun at you.

You stopped in the hallway, making him bump into you. You turned to face him, poking his chest and giving him a fierce glare, "Shut your mouth!"

He laughs, gently grabbing your shoulders, keeping you at bay. "Alright, pitbull, calm down!"

You shake your head and continue to walk, "Sorry." You mumble. "It's just, nobody needs to know that. I honestly didn't even want to tell you." You take a deep breath when you feel his arm lazily drape over your shoulder.

"Maybe it's time to tell him instead of telling me." He looks down at you, waiting for a response.

"Hear me out... I can just not say anything and keep my friendship intact," you say.

Jolly's arm drops from your shoulders as he points to the door. He grabs his key and unlocks the door, pushing you in first.

"This place is huge," you say as you peek around. You'd barely entered the kitchen and already felt lost.

"Down the hall doors on the left. Beware, the other two are lurking and waiting for your arrival," he warns.

As he's warning you, you hear a sudden commotion from around the corner. Two figures emerge, dart guns in their hands, and they laugh maniacally as they start shooting at you. You barely have time to react before the first dart hits you in the face. You instinctively raise your arms to shield yourself from the barrage of incoming darts.

"Fucking assholes!" You yell out in frustration, trying to catch your breath as you choke on your laughter. You quickly scan your surroundings for cover and spot Jolly nearby. You run towards him and hide behind him, hoping that he'll provide some protection from the incoming fire.

Jolly groans as he gets pelted with the soft bullets but doesn't move. You peek from behind him and see that the men are still laughing and shooting at you.

From behind them, you hear a door creak open and feet scruffing against the floor.

"What the fuck is going on?" you hear Noah's hoarse voice ask.

You poke your head around Jolly's torso, and your eyes land on Noah. You smile with excitement, feeling your stomach flip.

You run past Nicholas and Folio, flipping them off in the process and laughing hysterically as you jump into Noah's arms. As you cling to him, you can feel his body tense up in surprise. He looks down at you with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape, as if he can't believe what happened. You can tell he hasn't processed that you're there yet.

"What the…where did you? You're here," he manages to stutter out. His body relaxes, and he squeezes you gently, engulfing you in his tattooed arms. "What are you doing here?"

You pull back, still latched in his arms, as you look up at him. "Surprising you, dummy. Did it work?"

"What do you think?" His brown irises glow while he gazes down on you. "I'm surprised, but why? You had the whole tour, and you chose now? We're almost done." He says, chuckling. "Wait, did you get on a plane?"

You push out of his grasp, brushing your shirt down. "I heard you weren't feeling well…and yes, I did get on a plane."

"She only cried once," Jolly pipes in. "She's growing up so fast."

You shake your head, "...and then these two assholes tried to kill me." You glare at them. "You didn't even say hi! You just started blasting, and I find that rude. Could at least greet a girl." You turn your back to them, swinging around to face Noah. "Anyway, I'm here."

He looks back at you with tired eyes, "Well, as much as I love seeing you. I'm supposed to be on vocal rest. I'm going back to my room."

You stand there confused as he starts to walk away from you.

"Are you coming?" He asks, stopping before his door.

"Wait, you were inviting me?" You chuckle, "I'm comin'." You dash down the corridor and join Noah in his room. The room is plunged into darkness by the black-out blinds. You grin as he snuggles up on the bed, pulls the covers over him, and switches on the tiny TV on the desk at the foot of the bed.

"I had to make it dark." He explains, noticing your curious gaze, "I'm fooling myself into thinking nothing exciting is happening."

You roll your eyes playfully, "Nothing exciting is happening. This is a hotel." You tease, sliding under the covers next to him.

Noah gives you a sly smirk as he slides closer to you, resting his head on your chest. You wrap your arm around his shoulder, gently moving it up his neck and into his hair, where your fingers weave through, making him melt under your touch.

"I know you're not supposed to be talking, but I was curious how you feel about this. How are you coping?"

He lets out a sigh, showing his frustration. "I hate having to cancel shows, you know? It sucks knowing people were looking forward to seeing us maybe for months, and then we can't even show up." He buries his face in your neck, groaning, "I can talk, by the way, just not loudly."

You feel his hot breath against your skin, causing goose bumps down your arms. You wonder if this was the right time to tell him the truth.

You mentally shake the thoughts from your mind; now was probably not the right time. You didn't know if there ever would be a time when you'd feel brave enough. "I get that. As much as you hate hearing it, you're only human, Noah. Shit happens, and I'm sure they'll understand. They would want you to get better instead of ruining your voice," you remind him.

You feel his arm drape around your waist as he says, "I'm happy you're here. It makes things a little more manageable."

You hear his breathing slow down, and his soft snore comes from him. You let him rest and grab your phone, careful not to wake him up. You take a quick picture of your situation and send it to Jolly.

Help

Did you tell him?

NO.

Wake him up?

I can't. It's a rule. It's rude to move if someone is sleeping on you.

That only applies to cats, and Noah's not a cat.

You laugh and text back: Are we sure?

You put your phone down beside you and close your eyes, feeling the need for a nap after your long trip, and then you'd talk to Noah, maybe.

You stir in your sleep, feeling soft touches through your hair; you cuddle closer to the person's chest, feeling arms around you keep you safe and warm. Your eyes flutter open softly, and you are greeted with Noah's neck tattoo. You lean your head back, your nose grazing Noah's chin. "Hi," you groggily say.

"Hi, sleepy head." You snuggle your face back into his chest, not wanting to end the moment. You felt secure and calm, like you could stay this way forever. Until you hear the door fling open, you don't raise your head to look afraid you might get pelted in the face with another dart.

"You did it!" Jolly squeals when he sees you wrapped up in Noah's body. "I'm claiming best man at the wedding!"

Noah's eyes widen in confusion, and he looks at Jolly with a puzzled expression. "What wedding?" He asks nervously.

Jolly stares at you wide-eyed and yells, "Ah Fuck!" before leaving the room and shutting the door quickly.

You smack your hand over your eyes, wishing you could just disappear. Your cheeks burn with embarrassment, and you contemplate getting up, walking to the front, getting on a plane, and never showing your face again.

Suddenly, Noah lightly pushes your shoulder and playfully smiles at you. "That was weird," he says. "Are you OK?" His eyes grow with concern as he realizes the color hasn't returned to your face.

You take in a deep breath and close your eyes. Your heart races with anticipation, and you feel sick to your stomach. But you quickly regain focus and open your eyes. "Is it THAT weird?" Noah's head tilts, eyebrows furrow together, and his voice laced with curiosity, "What do you mean?"

"The voice in my head is screaming not to tell you because I'm so fucking afraid of losing you, but I know…" you pause, trying to catch your breath. "I love you, Noah, but not just in a hey, I want to be your friend kind of way. It's been eating at me for a while now. I made the mistake of telling Jolly; that's why he said what he did."

Noah's mouth drops with surprise, and slowly, a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. "I know," he says softly. He presses his lips together, not sure what else to say. He wasn't completely oblivious. "That's it?" You nervously bite the inside of your cheek.

"Y/n, why do you think I treat you like I do? I knew there was something more, but I didn't want to push this on you. I'm gone a lot, and I can't always give you what you want and what you need." He reaches out, holding both of your hands with his.

"If you want to give me a shot, I'm ready, but don't want to disappoint you." He flashes his infamous smile at you. "I want to try. At least then when people ask if you're my girlfriend, I won't have to correct them." He nervously laughs, "Are you ready?"

You smirk and sit up on your knees, bringing your hands to his face and pressing your lips against his. You lean back, gazing into his eyes, a permanent smile plastered on your face. "Yes, I'm fucking ready!"

You hear Jolly's voice yell from the hallway. "The wedding's back on!"

You chuckle, and Noah pulls you into his lap, kissing your temple. "He really wasn't the best one to tell."

You shrug your shoulders, "It wasn't that bad…he did kinda make this happen…"

Noah looks at the door hearing someone lean against it; chuckling while throwing his legs over the side of the bed and making his way to the door. He quickly opens the door to reveal Jolly practically falling on his face.

"Dude…" Noah laughs. "What the fuck."

Jolly apologizes, "Sorry, sorry. I'm nosy, you know plus had to make sure little miss wasn't getting her heartbroken." He pauses and smiles at you.

"Well," you say with a grin, "I guess we can't blame him for being curious about our love life. After all, it's not every day that he gets to witness such a steamy romance." You wink at Noah.

Noah rolls his eyes playfully and pulls you closer. "Yeah, Jolly," he says with a smirk, "you're just jealous that you're not getting any action."

Jolly laughs and shakes his head. "You two are something else."

Tags:

@thisbicc @yumikitten @lma1986 @chemicallady

[bengiyo]

We Must All Get Louder and Gayer About La Pluie Immediately

I understand that this show only airs on iQIYI and that most of us canceled that after KinnPorsche and/or Love in the Air, but I’m gonna need y’all to re-up those subscriptions and get on this train right now. This and Step By Step have been some of the most intriguing romance explorations we’ve had in the realm of Thai BL in a long time, and you are missing out on this incredibly breakdown of the soulmate and fast romance tropes that I’ve ever experienced.

I’ve seen some consternation about whether this show is honoring or defying conventions within romance and BL, and I don’t think that’s the most enjoyable way to engage with a piece of media in a mature genre. I think it’s more useful to ask questions like:

How is this show using those conventions?

What do these conventions fit?

What new things have we learned about ourselves or the genre as a result?

We’ve been unpacking the soulmate idea from the very beginning (@lurkingshan). The show upended our expectations about that from the opening scenes by showing us a romantic man who doubts in his own romantic destiny because his parents divorced. The show has then gone on to state quite plainly that it believes that the hearing loss connection is entirely coincidental, and that what people do in their relationships with other people is what matters the most.

We are sitting in the audience, and so we know that this is a romance. We fully understand that Tai and Patts will more than likely be together at the end of this story. What that knowledge and expectation allows the show to poke at the development of relationships in dramas. The characters are in a slow burn romance, but everyone in their lives doesn’t think they should be! That’s been incredibly fascinating because we so often see BL characters rushed into a relationship with each other that we are always surprised when they aren’t (Bad Buddy, My School President, Bed Friend). It’s been incredibly enjoyable for me to see a romance refuse to rush their characters into commitment with each other.

My good friend @lurkingshan wrote about this subversion of tropes and expectations this morning as they pertain to Lomfon. She makes the point that we expected Lomfon to be a bigger factor going into episode 7 than he was, and that’s also I think part of the point. He’s not a threat to the core romance, but he does have a role to play in this story. For me, I think he’s here to reinforce that skepticism and doubt are critical to making any sort of relationship or belief system function. Your ability to handle new challenges and things that confuse you are critical to being able to maintain a commitment. It doesn’t work if it’s forced.

As for misunderstandings, this show also continues to be intentional about this. As far back as episode 4, Dream chided Patts for not making things clear with Nara. Patts listened but hoped that his non-answer would be enough for Nara. Likewise, Bow has warned Tai twice about Lomfon’s clear desire for him, and how by not making things clear Tai may also face difficulties.

This comes to a head this week with Nara. I agree with @ginnymoonbeam that Nara’s return lets the narrative blow up Tai’s uncertainties he’s left bubbling since the beginning. I personally love Nara’s reintroduction here because Tai is romantic and because he genuinely seemed to like Nara. He liked that she still knew how to take care of her ex. He liked the determination she showed to travel all the way to Chiang Mai to pursue him. He was rooting for her! Even if he misunderstands the kiss, it’s not really about the kiss. It’s about the fact that someone he admires cares for Patts, and he likely worries that he’s the reason they didn’t work out. He’s also still questioning if the mutual attraction between himself and Patts can be trusted.

Moving on to the intimacy, I wrote last week about the way this show has made it clear that these are two men interested in each other. Following up on that this week, we entered an incredible liminal space in their relationship. Patts signaled earlier in the episode when they first got to their room that he is hoping to pick up where they left off with their last intimate moment. Both went into this bed fully aware of the sexual tension between them.

Tai is the one who opens the door this time by first offering the massage and then initiating the kiss. Things heat up between them, with Tai again on top to remain in control of the situation, something @shouldiusemyname points out here. Tai once again asks Patts to stop when he moves to escalate the encounter, but Tai shows Patts that he is interested in him. He offers to help him out by performing the act that Patts was most certainly going to do last week. This is incredibly fascinating for me, because I have always asserted that bottoms are the ones in most control of an encounter. I do not read Tai choosing to take care of Patts as him giving up control in any way. In fact, it’s a way for him to further maintain it. He reassures Patts that he is happy to be here and lets them release the tension of the moment.

Also, I just absolutely lose it over the lip flick.

gif by @pharawee​

Once again, I cannot overstate how radical it is for me to see a show saying that the one performing the act is the one in control of the encounter, and has the character who’s feeling unsure use that as a way to explore their own feelings. Tai needed to know that he likes making Patts happy. Please list the other BLs that have done this with sex in the notes. It’s not very often we get this!

Also, look at this man. This is not the face of a man who is being coerced. This is the afterglow of two people navigating their intimate relationship (@ginnymoonbeam).

He’s literally rubbing his hand because as they spoon because he’s so relieved.

I also just absolutely love Patts. I love that he keeps leaving notes for Saengtai to make sure he knows where they are.

Look at him walking around the next morning. He seems pleased...like a man can seem pleased.

We just never get this kind of stuff in genre. This is a classic romance of the Nora Roberts variety that’s allowing us to show two men navigating their romance and intimacy on their terms while also showing that even fated mates must be good partners to each other. This is a story that loves romance and loves the conventions of the drama. It is approaching each thread with clear-eyed conviction, and we as queer viewers deserve this.

So, I’m going to need you all to get louder, weirder, and gayer about this show. We gotta get more people on this one. We can’t let this show be forgotten because it’s not on YouTube.

Once again, thank you for coming to my post.

tagging @wen-kexing-apologist​ and @kyr-kun-chan​ for all the conversation we’ve had about this show.

[therealslimshakespeare]

I saw your answer about being burned out on Gigi but still being open to discussing the topic -

are there any little fun tidbits or ideas you had planned that you could drop in the answer box as a little treat?

Was there an eventual endgame for her?

Anything quirky or outrageous set to take place with her in her story?

Would Gigi ever change her ways and act grown up?

XOXOX you are my favorite writer on this whole entire app you must know

My darling, yes, yes, yes I am happy to talk of it! And I’m so happy you popped in. I cannot believe I’m your favorite, that’s just stunning to me, I’m really touched. 🫶🏼💋🫵🏻

Now into Gigi!

Shortly before the August tour she and Lisa Marie meet and as Lisa is in many ways more mature 🤣 they actually end up bonding very well, I imagined a case of Linda and Lisa with someone who’s even more playful -Gigi- and who genuinely would spend five hours playing Barbie’s because she wants to and has no fear on the golf carts.

On the August tour she’s a lifesaver for Elvis in so many ways, but things are also hard and she’s clingy and he’s on the pills to hell him keep going and it’s a side she hasn’t fully seen from him and rightfully considers to now be “the real him”

So she sticks it out but he also lashes out at he rom e about how clingy she is and it’s devastating to her. Positively devastating…all he really said was that she should be able to go to sleep on her own if he needed/wanted to keep socializing with the boys or whatever

When he goes to join her in the room that night he finds are shaking and crying and cold and practically going through a sub drop of sorts

Which gets cured with insistent assurance he’s a selfish old man who doesn’t even appreciate the miracle right under his nose and massive amounts of love and cuddles and him laying on top of her like a weighted blanket.

Swearing she’s always gonna be His Baby Girl

There’s no going back after that

Not that either Elvis or Gigi would want to

Something wonderful does happen on this tour and in many ways it’s due to Gigi yet again, Colonel Parker hasn’t being so well himself and now having to endure Elvis calling out his newest PR nightmare from the stage each night as his little Angel when she’s sitting there beaming, nineteen and big titted, is a worsening strain.

Sometime in later September the strain gets to be too much, apparently, when Colonel Parker is trying to enjoy the hotel’s amenities and soak in the hot tub with his cigar and a starry night sky but instead of being able to enjoy these he is assaulted with the caterwauling sounds of Gigi getting pleasurably railed on the balcony, one too many references to how big Elvis is and how much she loved how big he is and how big he is and…on and on and on

The Colonel was found at dawn bobbing up and down in the little bubbling caldron -a heart attack apparently

Big Sad

Such a big sad they have to cancel the rest of the tour and fly out to Hawaii to mourn and lift Elvis’ spirits

There Gigi feeds him pineapples and papaya juice and frolics in the surf in every smaller bikinis that are more calculated than Elvis assumes because her chief goal is actually to get him shirtless and frolic with her and he won’t unless it’s such a dire paparazzi emergency he must offer his own shirt to cover her bouncing assets

They make a baby on a plane ride, he just goes in during the turbulence and she’s so vigorous and delighted no pulling out occurs

So he marries her *duh*

Lisa is delighted by this and Lovey is born -cue, lots of Gigi never updating her wardrobe so everything is just flowy and unbuttoned and lots of nursing with a tit out much to the Memphis Mafia’s consternation about where to look without Elvis biting their heads off

Gigi loves engaging in a past time of seeing how far she can shoot her milk, it’s her favorite thing about motherhood, the little clothes are next and somwhere down the line is the actual baby

Don’t fret -Lovey has more than enough parental love coming from Elvis

With Parker gone and out of the way, wishes and whims honestly get to be met a lot easier and Gigi considers one of the most tragic things her Bug Daddy went though is the closing of Circle G ranch so you best believe she wheedles and begs for another and it’s a complete zoo by the end, not a ranche

They have another kid, soonish —a son named Baron. He’s the only one to inherit brain cells and will go on to be as devastatingly handsome and charming as his father and yet a full on Bayou living recluse when he’s not taking care of Graceland and his mother and kindly informing Miss Bealieu that if she wanted to use the name Presley, maybe she shoulda not divorced the original Presley she was related to?!👇🏼

but all that is after Elvis dies.

Because he does and yeah it’s genuinely sad and it happens sometime in the early 2000’s and his last words are to Baron and to “take care of my Gigi”

Gigi then proceeds to live and a very Yellow Wallpaper version of reality, never one for facing realities but gifted with a massive amount of emotional intelligence, she’s quite certain every breeze through the curtain and creak in the old house and song order on the radio is a message from Elvis to her. Yeah it’s a bit morbid but it’s also oddly convincing, “Daddy” doesn’t lose any presence just because he’s zipped out to the gas station longer than usual.

She’s preserved everything and that’s her chief hobby along with the zoo, even when Lovey is situated and taking over the magazines Elvis bought and produced. Gigi takes an interest for sure ->hell, she used to be their centerfold time and again so the least touch of her manicured hand on an editorial is still gold, no matter how time passes<- but first and foremost she’s still insistent she’s gotta be at Graceland, can’t leave Daddy alone there for long.

Which is a CRAZY and weird ass world for a certain Austin Butler to step into for research.

It’s impeccably preserved to the point of being past creepy, like it’s not creepy instead it’s just fully convincing, which probably should’ve been his first clue to run for his sanity sake, but when you love a thing you’ll quickly embrace a comforting illusion over a hurtful reality

And Austin loves Elvis, almost as much as Gigi does

Which becomes their joint reality

She’s eager to help him with the research, pours out the most insightful and tender perceptions of her Daddy, shows Austin his guitars and his books, his notes and his bibles, hours of hole footage -some of which Austin initially did not see the research value in due to their scandalous content but Gigi was insistent it was crucial material to get to know Elvis as his most unassuming, which she insisted was in bed

Probably shoulda been predictable -except for their age gap but life does imitate art- bonding over one all consuming love in their lives and watching X rated home movies and breathing life into each other’s lonely delusions really binds people together

Baron Presley is initially totally incensed and suspect this little twink Butler but eventually he softens, gets won over

Austin’s a good and kind influence on Gigi and between him and Baz they get her out more, Lisa’s good word regarding both helps this, too

Gigi gets convinced to go to Cannes with them all and Baron actually surfaces from his redneck palace in the bayous to confirm he’s not in fact dead for the first time in ten years,

He Takes Care of Business one last time at Cannes like his daddy would like, see Austin would dearly like to be Gigi’s and Gigi would like to be Austin’s -hell they already are- so Baron does them a little favor and draws out the little Nepo Arm Candy that Austin’s been toting about the these events and charms her real well and let’s just say, when Priscilla Bealieu saw Baron Presley come out of the coed bathroom in swaggering dishevelment with a little bowlegged twig behind him -she got some severe ptsd flashbacks to his father

After this it’s all happily ever after and Gigi is still showing up to Austin’s premiers and she’s proud as anything of him and he of her and together they’ve found whatever it is that binds souls together

Life imitates art

•also, for those who ask, if Gigi ever gets a lurid and beautiful biopic herself, looks like Emerald Fennel is the one for the job, uhem

Tagging my Gigi taglist as this is a headcanon list of sorts and y’all may enjoy seeing it 💋

@prompted-wordsmith

@parodsal000

@ab4eva

@stylespresleyhearted

@presleyenterprise

@kendralavon7

@coolgirl462

@colahola

@lillypink

@stephthestallion

@vintageshanny

@landmermaid12

@ashtag2887

@notstefaniepresley

@butlersluvbot

@steph-speaks

@eliseinmemphis

@lookingforrainbows

@dkayfixates

@ellie-24

@memphisflash1935-1977

@marriedtopresley

@powerofelvis

@thatbanditqueen

@elvisabutler

@butlersxbirdy

@heartbrake-hotel

@fav-fanficssss

@austinbutlersbaby

@freudianslumber

@kxnnxy

@kingdomforapony

@be-my-ally

@crazymadpassionatelove

@that-hotdog

@missmaywemeetagain

@fallinlovewithurlove

@richardslady121

@lilycherries123

@18lkpeters

@xenaspace3-blog

@lil-mamas-obsessions

@father-of-2cats

@helen06dreamer

@returntopresley

@gonnagoandfangirl

@kelssssxd

@octobers-snow

@velvetelvis

@blursedblegh

@azzypog

[addicsvt]

Things that I love hate about you.

pairing - enemies to lovers seungkwan x reader genre - fluff word count - 1393 warnings - some insults, cursing, mentions of bullying synopsis - boo seungkwan hates you, and you hate him too, simple enough right? a/n - thank you to the anon who waited so patiently for this 😭😭I rewrote this prompt like 8 different times and eventually chose this one!! (im not that confident about it TT) but happy valentines and carat day <3

It was snowing heavily, and you were walking in the snow unbelievably cold. You were rubbing your palms together, trying to come up with some sort of heat but it was a useless attempt. What were you even doing outside, you may ask. Well, you were supposed to hang out with your friends but everyone canceled because of how cold it was outside. And they all sent the message as soon as you reached the meeting place. So you were currently walking back home hands in your pocket shivering, when you felt someone behind you tap your back.

“Geez, you’re gonna freeze to death.” You heard someone huff with annoyance as you turned around only to be met with the gaze of your enemy, Boo Seungkwan walking beside you.

“I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy that.” You said crossing your arms across your chest, your cheeks flushed because of how cold it was.

“I actually would love seeing that.” He smirked and you only rolled your eyes when he suddenly took off his jacket. You were about to walk away from him when you felt a jacket being thrown at you. Seungkwan’s one?

“What the hell.” You said, and now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

“Your gonna freeze to fucking death. And once you do I’m gonna have no one to bully. So take it, but if you don’t want to, throw it away and forget this ever happened.” He grumbled. You didn’t say anything after that though as you put on his surprisingly warm jacket. And maybe if you were hallucinating you saw him blush or maybe it was due to the cold.

“Thanks.” You said, biting your bottom lip.

“Don’t even think of this as anything. I still hate you. A lot.” He muttered loud enough for you to hear. In his heart, he was obviously lying, he didn't hate you at all, he always thought you were cute, especially with his jacket on. But in the so called "sensible part" of his brain, he was supposed to hate you. Cute? No way. That word should’ve stayed far far away from you. 

“Hey, idiot. I got you chocolate cookies, the flavor you hate the most right?” Seungkwan smirked, you loved chocolate cookies but you’ve always faked a hatred for them just so he could keep buying them for you. Seungkwan was usually someone who was good at reading emotions and the fact that he never caught onto your lie was surprising.

“I hate you.” You lied feigning annoyance trying your best to hide your smile that was threatening to slip.

“Don’t hate me, hate the cookie.” He let out a laugh. He’s lying too, he knows you love chocolate cookies and if you haven’t made that obvious enough, chocolate cookies might as well be your whole personality. The only reason why he keeps buying them for you is because he thinks you look stupid (cute) trying to lie to him.

You not-so-secretly munch on the cookies after school on the bleachers thinking no one’s watching when Seungkwan’s on the side looking at you and maybe if he was insane he would think that it was cute. Your adorable cheeks puffed because you were trying to stuff 3 cookies in your mouth at once.

You were in class, 5 minutes before the bell was about to ring your teacher kept dragging it. You were counting the last seconds in your mind till freedom. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!  The bell rang out loud as everyone made their way out of the class. Standing outside your classroom waiting for you was Boo Seungkwan with a smirk. You always assumed he did it to annoy you.

“Again?” You questioned, looking at him as he only smiled back.

“The more time I get to bully you the merrier!” He chirped which you only sighed to.

“When will you ever be late, I swear. When the bell rings you suddenly teleport here.” You grumble, you secretly enjoyed his presence though. You loved how he always stood there, ready to annoy and talk your ear off. You loved listening to him talk.

“Like I said, the more I bully you the more I feel happier.” He explained. The only reason why he came just on time was to see you run out of the class. Your bright eyes staring at the clock, counting down the last seconds because it was funny (adorable) to him. He never bullied you, always buying you lunch instead and making up different excuses. “Oh, I just wanted to spend money.” 

“You remind me of a calculator.” Seungkwan randomly brought up once and you only stared at him taken aback. 

“Huh, what do you mean?” You asked him, obviously confused.

“Well, it’s because you’re a nerd. And you give answers to your friends like a calculator does.” He commented, when you suddenly remembered that one time you whispered an answer to your friend during an exam.

“Hey! How do you know about that.” You blurted out, feeling strangely guilty and exposed.

“We were in the same exam hall and it’s pretty obvious. Your lucky teacher didn’t catch you.” Seungkwan joked, observing your reaction.

“Well, she was my best friend and you know I had to help her. She was gonna fail!” You protested while pouting. Seungkwan swore he felt his heart explode when you did that. No, no, no. He was not falling for you. No way. (He was already whipped)

“Hmm, yeah okay sure, I believe you,” Seungkwan said sarcastically trying to cover up the fact he almost blushed in front of you.

“You’re so annoying.” Seungkwan sassed at you randomly. He couldn’t even pay attention in class now because of you (it’s not like he ever did). You were plaguing his thoughts and he hated it (loved it). Why was he falling for you, was it your adorable pout? Was it your bubbly personality? Was it your sweet smile? He couldn’t figure it out, but if someone asked him to name 100 good things about you he could do it easily, in record time. Well, it was your fault for being so perfect and amazing and loveable. A part of him slapped himself mentally, There was no absolute way he liked you, he didn’t like you and that was final. Was that really what his heart wanted though?

“Eh? What did I do this time?” You asked, looking a bit offended. You were sitting on the grass next to him because he wanted to talk to you there or something.

“You’re so perfect it’s annoying.” He complained. Your mouth widened, trying to see if you heard it correctly.

“What?” You said in disbelief, needing to hear it again. Because no way did he just say that, it could just be the lack of sleep talking.

“I said, you’re so perfect it’s annoying.” He repeated watching your shocked face. You didn’t know how to react. It’s not like you loathed Seungkwan, the chocolate cookies did make you like a certain part of him. You thought you were crazy but you crushed on Seungkwan sometimes too. You swore you felt butterflies when he lent you that jacket on the snowy evening. When he always waited outside your classroom every day on time. When he saw an object and thought about you. No matter how much you tried to deny it, you liked him.

“And, you’re annoyingly pretty too. Your pout is annoyingly cute, your personality is annoyingly bubbly. I love you so much, it’s annoying.” Seungkwan confessed, witnessing as your cheeks reddened in color.

“Boo Seungkwan, I love you so much too, it’s annoying.” You said back, blushing at how sudden this all was. Seungkwan only nodded before he started blushing too.

“You're so annoying that I want you to be my valentine.” Seungkwan admitted watching as your blush got even darker. 

“You’re so annoying that you make me want to say yes.” You laughed before he pressed his lips onto yours, noses bumping, you swore your heart skipped a beat. The kiss was soft but affectionate at the same time. He slowly pulled away as his taste still lingered on your lips.

“Was that good?” Seungkwan asked, cheeks flushed as a strand of hair fell on his face.

“More than good.” You assured him, moving the strand off his face and tucking it behind his ear. 

@ADDICSVT 2024

[absolutelybifurious]

cancelling the apocalypse

pacific rim au | buddie | longfic | mature

chapter 5 yayyyyyy

In truth, he’d been briefed. Athena mentioned there was a loudmouthed upstart that Captain Nash thought might make a good fit for Acero. Obviously, she had her doubts but said she’d let Eddie form his own opinions. And he is trying to, but his mind is racing, trying to categorize this livewire of a man walking beside him. Buck. He’s talking – he’s been talking – since they left the sparring room. Eddie’s been struggling with his own thoughts all day, but it’s all noise in the wake of this man running his mouth. It’s nice. “I mean, there’s no way we aren’t gonna be compatible, right? That was – fifteen minutes, that’s unheard of. The record for the base is 8:03, and that was me and Lucy – she was the one calling the matches. I don’t know if you’ve met her. A-anyway, I’ve done a lot of research, because I’ve—it’s been kinda complicated, you know? Finding someone I’m Drift compatible with. Honestly, it’s not that not I’m not compatible, I’m compatible, but it’s just below this line Cap set, which I think is pretty arbitr—what? What’s funny?” Eddie isn’t laughing, so he blinks, shakes off the lull Buck’s worked him into with all his words. “What?” “You’re smiling,” Buck accuses, like it’s criminal. To be fair, it is odd. Smiling isn’t something Eddie does a lot these days, especially without realizing it. “Was I?” “Yeah,” Buck says, primed to fight him on it. Eddie shrugs. “Nothing’s funny, I was just… listening to you, I guess.” This startles Buck enough that he stumbles and breaks their rhythm. “Ah, that is not usually how people respond when they listen to me.” “How do they usually respond?” Eddie asks. “Rolling their eyes, saying please, god, shut up and take a breath, that sort of thing.” Eddie frowns, because there’s something about this guy, this golden sunlight that thaws some of the ice that’s settled in Eddie’s veins, that he can’t imagine someone wanting to dampen. “Well, I’m not telling you to shut up or rolling my eyes, so you can keep going.”

read on ao3

[cherryys]

why do you think yuuji isn't gonna make it? i have a lot of bets put on itafushi both dying or living (for Reasons i'm not gonna be annoying abt rn lol) so i like to hear why others believe otherwise

Oh god okay so

There are ALOT of death flags around yuuji, more than the people that actually died had lol but if i had to compose a list:

1. In Chapter 1, these are Yuuji's grandfather's dying words to him:

And i feel this statement of "when it's your time to go, make sure you're surrounded by others." Is going to play a big part in the ending, especially paired with the "save anyone you can, even if it's just one person" this translation doesn't say those exact words but the anime did so im gonna roll with it lol (if anyone knows what the og japanese version said please let me know!!!)

I think Yuuji is going to die by saving Megumi, surrounded by him (and others like Yuuta and Todo but im more focusing on Megumi because he is the start and the end of Yuuji's entire life purpose and ideals) and that would fulfill his grandfather's dying words of "save whoever you can, even if it's just one person. don't end up like me, [alone]. Die surrounded by loved ones" and i think that would truly be the best ending Yuuji would get after that, better than any hollow victory of killing sukuna but still outliving everyone else, alone. He had suffered enough in those few months, i think it would be cruel of Gege if he lets him outlive everyone else and still keep going with how much he's lost and witnessed.

This falls in line with the purpose he set for himself in Chapter 2:

He had already accepted that his life ends with Sukuna. That moment is when, for him, Itadori Yuuji ceased to exist and instead, Sukuna's Vessel. (Though the people around him try to convince him otherwise). Him doing those two things (Killing Sukuna and Saving People) as what his character's purpose in the story is, not living to see his 16th birthday (as despressing as that may be 💔)

2. In Chapter 203, Kenjaku says this:

This sort of ties into my earlier point of him and Sukuna's lifespans being interconnected thematically. Kenjaku here specifies Yuuji coexisting with Sukuna. As long as they are both alive, the cycle of curses (and suffering & pain) will never end. Even if Yuuji were to live on, he still has Sukuna's essence burned into him (whether that be because he'd been a vessel for so long or because of his lineage). He cannot get rid of the entirety of Sukuna, all his remains and all his ugliness, without getting rid of the one inside him first. That's why to completely get rid of Sukuna, he has to take himself out too.

Shoko even says this in Chapter 220:

By a narrative standpoint, he technically counts as an extra finger, still housing his Technique and his Evil Dredges, sort of speak. To completely defeat Sukuna, he has to go too.

3. A little fun fact about JJK, it was under threat of being cancelled all the way back since the Cursed Womb Arc. Because of that, Gege rushed to write that arc along with Chapter 9 as its subsequent "end" (though we know now Shonen Jump continued releasing it) and coupled with the fact that Gege said a while ago he already has the end of the story in mind, it's not a stretch to say that the end is going to parallel that Chapter somehow, with Yuuji sacrificing himself to save Megumi and them sharing a quiet moment (under the rain, or snow since its Dec 24 lol) where Megumi tells him again that he had never once regretted saving him, even after all the turmoil and pain it caused Megumi.

I think that would also be a nice send-off for Yuuji, the last face he sees is the one person he actually succeeded in saving and the one that saved him back, telling him that despite all the guilt he felt, all the pain he made himself responsible for (despite it not being his fault), he—who had a moral code so strict that he'd never save anyone that would kill someone in the future, yet saved him anyways, and stuck by his side after all that happened in Shibuya and told him to share the burden, the one person who never left him alone—never once regretted saving him, that the good Megumi knows is in Yuuji was worth it. And that despite the pain Megumi went through (and the pain Yuuji feels responsible for) he doesn't blame him nor regret that choice. And that he'd do it again even knowing everything.

I could go more into the other side of this argument of why Megumi being the one to die wouldn't make sense but i'd be rambling on for too long lmao i tend to go on restlessly 😞 im just really passionate about jjk and its themes

[mazzystar24]

hi its birthmark anon! weird lore from me i guess i dont mean to trauma dump because my dad is fine lmfao but i HATED that scene because of the “your dad is still alive” line. my dad had heart issues when i was a kid to the point he needed open heart surgery and i remember so clearly my aunt saying something similar to my mom in front of us when he was hospitalized. my mom said she couldnt make thanksgiving dinner because my dad was in the hospital and she had to take care of me and my 3 siblings who were all pretty young kids (i was 11 i think and my younger brother was 9. i remember thinking my dad was gonna die) and my aunt was like “at least you have a family”. we didnt see her for like 5 years after that lmfao

also the “you guys need your own hospital wing” line also frustrated me because i had my own health problems as a kid (im alright now) and people ALWAYS made those sorts of comments to me. i didnt even register the daddy shit until later and that only made the scene worse because while it felt like buck was trying to lighten the mood and make it something they have in common but tommy dismissed it AGAIN. like its not even about sexual jokes to me its about him being an asshole in every scene he’s in 😭

anyway thanks for the birthmark clownery i doubt kim will return but we had fun 🫶 this whole discourse is dumb because the scene just sucked. if they wanted me to believe tommy gave a single fuck they shouldve had him come to the hospital abd they should also address the role he played in the gerrard shit for hen and chimney because they HAVENT and it drives me NUTS

anyway love you bye

Hi birthmark anon!!

Dw Im always down for a good trauma dump like one of my friends and I legit never spoke to eachother before despite being in the same class for a year but only became friends because a cancelled class led to us trauma dumping to eachother for our first proper conversation for like 2 hrs

Omg can’t believe your aunt said that that’s actually so iffy, but yess exactly the “your dad is still alive” line was just so so bad and I hated it sm like idk if you saw my replies on my other post or not cos I put it in much more in depth way there but like I too am a traumatised girlie and if someone said that shit about my bio dad I would literally lose it cos it’s one of those things that get said so much to traumatised people and it’s honestly a big no from me

Like sure SOME traumatised people MAY regret not fixing it but also it might not be fixable and you don’t know the situation and also maybe they won’t either way that’s their prerogative

and sometimes what’s right for them at the time isn’t what’s right for them long term and all these things are fine

Like me personally if my dad dropped dead right now I would genuinely celebrate and feel not a single ounce of regret and that’s fine and id deck anyone who said it’s not

Like if Tommy has his own trauma and feelings about his dad and their relationship then that’s fine but this sort of imposed rhetoric on another traumatised person is just a no from me

The hospital wing line is another thing that I didn’t see mentioned but bucks face DID flip but that’s a whole other debate yeah

See that’s the thing like I know I have Tommy loving followers but I personally dislike him cos they haven’t gave him (imo) substance or like enough other than sardonic comments and shit

Rip our fun with the Kim and buck parallels you’ll always be famous🫡

But yeah like even if people liked Tommy and bucktommy I feel like they can blame the writing or execution or context but like overall not liking that scene it’s not just about hating Tommy or bucktommy imo

YES THEY COULDVE PLAYED IT SO DIFFERENTLY IF THEY WANTED TO DEVELOP TOMMY AND BUCKTOMMY AND IT DEEPLY CONFUSES ME WHY THEY HAVENT IF THEYRE CARRYING IT INTO S8

Anyways also love ya byee🫶🫶🫶🫶

[all-pacas]

do you think it's out of character that cameron didn't mention keeping her husband's sperm until days before she was supposed to get married?

Maybe like……17% out of character? I fully believe that

Cameron would keep her dead husband's sperm and

She wouldn't mention it, because she does know it's kind of weird, look at how she announced it, that was not her being proud of the silly thing she did, but also even if she's not ashamed of it she does know it's weird, does know it's probably going to hurt Chase's (who has a history of being a bit insecure of her feelings towards him) feelings.

However, the waiting until the last minute thing seems a little… contrived.

Cameron absolutely has a history of avoiding problems. If she can avoid her own feelings, she's gonna do it. I can see her waiting until the last second to bring it up, for sure, and the whole thing is pretty silly. But, I actually think this is like… the one example of Cameron and Chase having a conflict that has nuance.

First of all: Cameron explains it pretty clearly. She keeps it as a weird sort of… reminder. I used to think, if I never found someone, she tells Chase. It's a tangible part of her dead husband. She hates letting go of things/possibilities/people. Chase doesn't actually ask her to destroy it (although it's certainly implied): he suggests it's a prenup. And… there's nothing that weird about wanting that. (In fact, it turns out she was pretty right to want one, lmao) It's true the fact that it's sperm is kind of super weird, but Cameron saying just in case things don't work out, I kind of have this as a plan isn't terrible. I get why Chase got defensive, but he's also being a little overly sensitive imo.

And he does kind of immediately get jealous:

CHASE: Cameron kept her dead husband’s sperm. FOREMAN: She doesn’t like yours? CHASE: She likes his better. Or at least she wants to hang on to it in case mine is… unfaithful or something.

She likes his better? Cameron never says she actually wants to use the sperm. Chase is taking Cameron has a backup plan that is admittedly weird to mean she likes her dead husband better than me.

At the end of the episode, he calls off the wedding, kind of.

CHASE: I can’t do it. You have doubts. CAMERON: And you don’t? CHASE: No. CAMERON: Well, that’s… naïve. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you. That’s how I feel right now. But I don’t… know. CHASE: I’ll wait until you do. CAMERON: I can’t know. No one knows. CHASE: I do.

These are pretty gentle doubts! She immediately tells him she loves him and wants to be with him. I think this is actually the first time either of them have said love on the show. She just wants a prenup, a very weird fucking prenup, she wants him to know she has these sperm and isn't planning on using them but has them, and Chase is kind of overreacting here.

Next episode, the wedding has been officially postponed/cancelled. Cameron seems to sort of be treating this as a breakup, although Chase did say he'd wait until she was sure, which to me doesn't seem to be him dumping her. Taub tracks down Chase in the world's funniest scene and Chase explains that, once again, his ego is what's at stake here:

CHASE: You’d let your wife keep another man’s offspring on ice next to the frozen peas, just in case? That’s what this is about. She’s not ready to commit to me. She’s planning for failure.

I'm being a little hard on him, but I do get it. Chase holds himself together way better than Dr. "notoriously messy everywhere" Cameron, but let's not forget he's never had anyone want him his entire life. <3 You could even triangulate this with Lockdown and his Did You Ever Love Me rant (he brings the sperm back up then, too): in his own way, he's also preparing for the end, because his whole life his family has let him down and withheld love/affection; his fake dad House always consistently refused to give him any approval, no matter what Cameron says I'm sure Chase hears she's gonna run out on me in six months. (Which!)

Later on, Cameron talks to House, and he suggests destroying the sperm. Which, even though that's clearly what Chase wants, he hasn't actually said it. Cameron is unhappy, but at this point she has good priorities, and she does choose Chase and to destroy the sperm. (And they have a genuinely cute little scene where he wants to hug her but can't but almost does anyway. They're cute sometimes.)

And that's all it takes! As soon as Cameron just… stops hedging and saying "but I need to keep the sperm," Chase is perfectly fine. (And, to his credit, when he thinks she wants to move out, he immediately offers to let her stay and move out instead. He's an insecure moron but he's not a jackass.) And he — not House or anyone else — gets to the bottom of the issue, once he's not feeling sorry for himself:

CHASE: You don’t have doubts. You just don’t wanna kill the only thing left of someone you loved.

And that's perfectly reasonable. And even he knows it. But Cameron didn't communicate it well (I don't know if she even had that articulated in her head). But the issue was never really that Cameron wanted to have a dead man's baby. Chase is probably being a little idealistic here (she definitely has doubts), but he's not wrong. It's not really about the sperm. Cameron is just a bad communicator and terrible at self awareness, and Chase is perceptive but let his own insecurities get in the way.

[alittlextrathatway]

I got another prompt from Sand86802 on twitter.

Posting it here again since it isn’t quite long enough for Ao3.

Played with Violet’s POV on this one. Set in a post 11x22 world.

***

“Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart”

+

Location: The El

***

It’s been a while since Sylvie and Violet spent time together off shift. Even longer since Violet spent any considerable time in the presence of both Brett and Casey at the same time.

Tonight, they had an extra ticket to a concert Sylvie had been dying to attend for a Taylor Swift cover band that reimagined the singer’s work in big band or jazz styles. Violet isn’t a swiftie, but she’s always up for new experiences so she took the extra ticket. Originally, she thinks Casey’s sister was supposed to go with them, but she canceled for some reason. Some sort of teaching emergency.

To top it all off, this concert was a part of Brett’s birthday celebration. Her first birthday as a mom and her first time away from Julia for longer than a couple of hours since the baby officially became hers a handful of weeks ago. Confidentially, Casey confided in Violet that he wanted it to be special and so full that Sylvie never had a moment to feel anxious over leaving Julia with Cindy and Herrmann for the evening.

Violet admired his ambition and effort. Even though, in her heart of hearts, she knew no one could stop Sylvie from feeling anxious about leaving her daughter alone.

They’re on their way to the show now. They opted to take the El to save on the parking fee and time spent jammed up in traffic. Violet sits on one side of Brett with Casey on the other.

The recently engaged couple is sickeningly cute. Casey’s arm is slung over Sylvie’s shoulders, pulling her against him. She went willingly, slotting against him as if she was always meant to be there with her back molding to his side and her head resting in the crook of his neck. Casey turns so he can rest his lips against the crown of Sylvie’s head, kissing her sweetly.

Looking at them now, a person would never guess they’d ever been apart.

The train stops and the doors open, allowing a pregnant woman and her toddler to board. They all clock her as she enters the car and, like her, notice there aren’t any available seats.

Casey kisses Brett’s temple and then releases her. “I’m gonna go hold the rail over by the door and let this woman have my seat.”

“You’re amazing,” Sylvie praises, nodding approvingly.

“Let’s not get carried away,” he says with a fond chuckle. “I’m not a saint. It’s just the polite and decent thing to do.”

Sylvie watches him cross the train and point out his vacated seat to the woman with a besotted smile on her face before she scoffs and glances over at Violet. “Not a saint. Of course he’s a saint. I mean, look at him.”

Violet chuckles mutely, watching as the pregnant woman thanks Matt profusely and waddles her way toward them. “I see him. He’s great.”

“I can’t believe I ever thought I could do without him,” she says with a contented sigh. “I mean, what was I thinking? No one holds a candle to that man over there. Not for me anyway.”

Violet bites her bottom lip, an apology slowly clawing its way up her throat. She’s held it at bay so far, but her guilt grows larger every day. Even quicker than normal during the rare instances she’s directly confronted with how truly happy Matt makes her best friend these days.

Sylvie and Dylan were never going to work out. Not when Sylvie’s connection to Matt is as strong as it’s proven to be. Violet should have seen that sooner.

“I’m happy for you, bestie,” Violet says, linking her arm through Sylvie’s. “Since he came back into your life you’ve done nothing but glow.”

“Thank you.” Sylvie lays her head on Violet’s shoulder affectionately. “I felt like a part of me shut down after I broke it off with him. Like losing touch with him meant losing a piece of my heart. I should’ve known then that ending it was a mistake.”

That does it. Violet can’t hold off her apology any longer. Sylvie’s right. She should’ve seen it and she probably would have too if Violet hadn’t interfered.

“I should’ve known it too,” she says, sighing tiredly. “They way I kept pushing you toward Dylan…God, looking back I was so selfish, Sylvie. I’m sorry.”

“What? No, Violet, my struggles with my emotions aren’t on you. Matt and I had things we should’ve dealt with sooner and we ignored them. That’s on us. All you wanted was to see me happy. I get that.”

No, she really doesn’t. “It wasn’t just about you being happy though.”

Sylvie’s smile turns bittersweet. Her expression is empathetic and all knowing. It’s a look from her that’s potent on anyone, even perfect strangers. When Brett gives someone that look, they feel encouraged to spill all their secrets and struggles.

“I know,” Sylvie replies. “It’s okay. Grief manifests itself in all kinds of ways.”

“Dylan and Evan were friends and I guess I—I guess—“

“You wanted to hold onto that piece of him for as long as possible?”

“Yeah,” Violet agrees. “That’s a good way to phrase it. It goes to show you, never take advice from someone who’s falling apart. I was still spiraling hard when we first bumped into Dylan at the hospital. At the time, I thought all the pieces fit, you know? I know now I saw only what I wanted to see. I sent you a long way down the wrong path.”

“I started down that path long before we ran into Dylan, Violet,” Sylvie states, gently correcting her. “Cut yourself some slack. You were still reeling. I know what that can do to a person. Hell, I moved back home and intended to marry a man I barely knew after we lost Otis. My grief over him kept me from realizing I’d made the wrong choice for far too long. If anyone gets it, it’s me. It all worked out in the end. I have Matt, Julia, and the boys. I’m happier than I’ve been in a very long time. That’s all that matters.”

“I guess so.” She wishes she could say the same but, while she’s through the worst of her grief, she’s far from happy.

“You’re gonna find that too, partner,” Sylvie assures her, as if she’s read Violet’s mind. “I know it. No matter what that happiness looks like for you, I am certain it’ll happen. You’re the best so you deserve the best.”

No, Sylvie’s the best. The amount of grace she extends to everyone around her is practically miraculous. “I already have the best friend I could ask for,” Violet says, giving Sylvie a pointed look. “And that’s all the happiness I need for now.”

As cheesy as it sounds, it’s a truth Violet feels deep in her bones. Sylvie’s friendship will always be the gift that keeps on giving.

[mxtantrights]

famous dc!au (dick's version)

TRACK TWELVE : YOU GIVE ME SOMETHING

Tonight feels like an ending of sorts. After tonight you'll finally know where you stand with Dick. If, maybe, he's back with his ex. Or if he's not seeing anyone.

And it kind of feels like a sigh of relief. You were definitely taking a break from this industry after all this. And having an answer to this question in your head would put you at ease.

You look over at your outfit for tonight. It wasn't much. You had been to a couple of these before. But none hosted by someone on the same level as Dick.

You weren't planning on wearing a Gala dress, no way you'd try ro be someone you weren't. But you can't just show up with jeans and call it a look.

There was only one thing to do. You'd have to shop.

-

Dick is going nuts. He feels like he's actually going nuts. A genuine through crosses his mind that he might not even show up to the launch party to his new song.

He can't believe Zantana invited you. The problem isn't that you're going, it's that you're going under the pretense that this song has nothing to do with you. Which is wrong. The song has everything to do with you. It's about you-it's for you!

Dick feels like he's gonna throw up.

"I'm gonna hurl." he says.

Jason and Damian laugh amongst themselves. And really it's their faults, Dick thinks to himself. if it weren't for Damian saying to fall in love with someone normal, and Jason pushing him confess his feelings for you, none of this would have happened.

Well, not exactly.

Damn.

"Can you relax? The worst thing that can happen is you get astoundingly rejected and run out of Hollywood." Damian answers.

Dick looks over at him in pure shock, "Bro?"

"I mean he's right. And even then, you'd still be rich." Jason adds on.

"Alright the two of you aren't helping. Out."

Jason and Damian flood out of the room. The room filled with stuff about the song he wrote about and for you. It's custom for Dick to have decorations thrown around at a single release party. But this just feels like an extra circle of hell.

Because this can go one of two ways. Either he tells you how he feels and how the song is about you and you feel the same way-which he didn't know until now how badly he wants this to come true. Or he tells you and you realize you're standing in place that acts as a makeshift lover letter and you high tail it out of the party and maybe even Hollywood.

Dick can't think straight.

"Stop ruminating, you'll be fine." Zantana says from the doorway.

Dick looks over at her angrily, "You had no right to give out that invitation."

"Dick, what were you gonna do skate around this for the rest of your life? This could be your happily ever after and you want it to pass you by?" she asks.

Dick sighs, "I just don't feel good about this. What if it's too much? What if I'm too much?"

"Oh, Richard." Zantana says.

Then she's walking over to her best friend and cupping his face with her hands.

"Listen me, you are special and kind, and really caring. You are never too much, you are enough. You are more than enough. Okay?"

Dick nods his head along to her affirmations.

"If you really want to cancel this whole thing I can have this place trashed and designated a fire hazard in an hour." she offers.

Dick smiles at that, "No, I think it's time to face the music."

-

You put the blue leather jacket back on the hanger. It is way too expensive to buy just to go to this one time thing. No way.

As you turn around you run directly into someone. You start apologizing, realizing you dropped their items. You help them pick them off from the floor. A few worn out books and a red star keychain.

When you hand the items back to the person, you finally make eye contact and you go a bit starstruck. Okay, not a bit, but totally a normal amount of starstruck for running into an Oscar winning actress.

"I'm so sorry about that again. I wasn't really paying attention." you say.

"No it's fine-I was actually that close to you because I wanted to introduce myself." the actress says.

You look behind you once out of confusion and then look back. With a thumb pointed at your chest you look at the Hollywood star again.

"Me?" you ask.

A bright bubbly laugh comes out.

"Yes you, you were in Dick's music videos. I really wanted to meet you." she says.

"I'm sorry, you're talking about me? Still?" you ask.

"I am! I thought the chemistry the two of you had was amazing. I mean I still do." she answers.

You clear your throat. "Well I mean he's really easy to get along with."

"Watching the two of you in this videos is like watching a pair of souls come together after a long time. It's magic." she adds on.

At that you can't help but to feel your heart race. You know that your face is growing hot and so are your ears. You smile and try to shrug it off.

"I'm trying to find something to wear to the single release party. Are you going tonight?" you ask.

She nods, "Yeah I'll be there with Jason. I think that jacket would look really good on you."

"Me too but my back account would be in the negatives if I brought it." you joke.

She laughs along with you, then her phone starts ringing. She looks at the screen and back at you.

"Sorry to cut and run, but my boyfriends little brother is calling me and he usually just texts, so it must be important. It was really nice meeting you, I hope we see each other around again." she says.

You thank her again and wave goodbye. You turn back to the rack, where the jacket is. There was a no return policy at this store. If you bought this jacket you would be all in. Kind of like another situation you are in at the moment.

At the register what you don't see or hear is the award winning actress telling the cashier to add the jacket to her card and asking that you walk out with it today as a gift.

-

Dick is freaking out. Like honestly he can't take it anymore. There is about one hour before the party officially starts and he's losing his mind.

When the door to the break room he's in opens he stops pacing. He looks at the opened door.

"Your burning tracks in the floor." Bruce says.

Dick honestly looks down for a split second before he scoffs.

"Who called?" Dick asks.

"The better question is who didn't call me." Bruce answers.

The older man comes into the room and closes the door behind him. He leans against it and crosses his arms against his chest.

"So I'm in love, so what?" Dick throws his hands up in surrender.

"So what? It's a big deal Grayson. This time is different." his father says.

"How do you know?" Dick asks.

Bruce smiles, "because it reminds me of my first love, my first true love."

Dick's mind stops running then, it just goes still. In fact it's probably the only moment of silence he's had to himself since he woke up this morning.

"You've never talked about it." Dick says.

"It's a long and complicated story. I'll tell you the whole thing one day, but for now I'll just tell you the lesson I learned at the end of it all." Bruce starts.

Then he's walking towards his son. He takes him by the shoulders and looks him right in the eyes.

"You have to be brave enough to go after it, brave enough that failing wouldn't matter to you." Bruce says.

Dick's eye widen.

"Did you?" Dick questions, "I mean, did you fail?"

Bruce smiles to himself and chuckles as well.

"I know the tabloids might say I did, but I know I didn't." Bruce answers.

Bruce pats his son's shoulders twice for good measure.

"I also need you to get out there soon because if not Jason offered to watch the rest of the kids-no one wants that."

"Besides Cass and Duke." Dick tags on.

They both laugh at that.

-

You check your appearance once more. The jacket really was a nice touch. You can't believe she brought it for you! You'd have to return the favor some day-if you ever get the chance.

Tonight you were either going to leave Hollywood forever or evade the social circles of Dick Grayson.

You smooth out the jacket against your body. It was now or never. The part starts about third minutes ago. There was no reason for you to be fashionably late, it wasn't your party and you weren't decked out to the nines.

You ling your bag over your shoulder and start walking in behind the crowd. There are flashing lights and paps calling out for pictures. You're not sure they're calling for you so you keep heading inside.

Everything looks so dreamy. The place is decorated like a prom. Teal balloons fill the ceiling. The floor is clean and white. There are little tables with appetizers and drinks. The lights aren't too bright, they are dim.

There are streamers around in places with stars hanging down from them. It's fun.

It reminds you of the song. How it feels like a love song and dancing in the rain and watching the stars. You smile to yourself. There's a projector on a big wall showing jellyfish.

All of it feels so familiar to you. Like how the laugh sounded like yours on the song.

"You made it, finally!" a voice says from behind you.

You turn around only to find no one at eye level with you. You look down and there he is. Damian Wayne. You look at him in confusion. Surely he wasn't looking for you? He doesn't know you.

"Are you talking to me?" you ask him.

"Yes."

"Oh-okay. Do you know me?"

"Kind of."

The one worded answers were getting ominous. And it was freaking you out. But he was only a child, maybe he didn't realize how he was coming off.

"Scram you're being a menace." a voice from behind you, again.

You turn this time to see Jason Todd. Okay this day was just getting more and more surprising to you. First you ran into his wife at the store, then you ran into his little brother, now him.

"Oh it's okay," you turn back and sure enough Damian is gone, "And he's gone."

"yeah we're all weird like that. Look, I wanted to introduce myself to you formally." Jason says.

He holds out his hand and you take it. He smiles. You don't know why he's smiling but it doesn't feel out of place, it feels genuine. You smile too.

"I don't know why I'm smiling, sorry." You say.

"It's okay. One day we'll laugh about this." he jokes.

-

Dick watches you from the corner of the room like some sort of jaded creep. God he feels weird. He just wants to talk to you but he wonders if this is his moment, his failing moment. Like Bruce said.

"Please put us all out of out misery and tell the truth about the song." Damian says.

Dick isn't sure where the boy came from but he honest really care. He knew he was here at the release party and that was enough.

"And if I fail?"

"You would ave failed being honest. Isn't that the best way to fail?" Bruce adds.

Dick also isn't sure how Bruce came into the conversation but then again he doesn't care.

It's now or never.

Dick makes his way over to you. He has to step through the projected jellyfish video on the wall. When he does, you seem to notice and your eyes catch his. He smiles and so do you.

And for the second time that night, his mind stops running. It feels like peace.

[alarrylarrie]

I am catching up lol I read your tags on one post-you sadi things woth harry will go south?what do you mean with that?(I know what that means but he had a lot of potential “going south”situations but its like he is bulletproof

He’s not.

And let me be PERFECTLY CLEAR I am not rooting for Harry to take a tumble? Not at all. If I could shelter him from it, if I could curl up around him and Louis and hiss any time any issue/scandal lapped at their feet… lol I would.

But I can’t. So. I can only observe and say what I think.

The rate at which he is working is untenable and absolutely cannot be sustained. And eventually, the public writ large will tire. We have the attention span of goldfish, after all.

Does this mean he’ll be cancelled and disappear forever? Nah. I have a feeling we’re gonna get the Taylor Swift model from him (don’t send me hate about this I’m not even going to read it. You don’t have to like her at all but she does exist in the world, so.) Taylor has done this thing over the last few years where she pops into culture, makes a boatload of money, and then falls off the face of the earth for anywhere from a few months to a few years. She is someone who knows A LOT about the perils of overexposure. And the game of like “now you see her, now you don’t” has actually benefited her massively.

Harry *will* hit a critical mass. He just will. There is already rumblings of it, but I promise there is a point that something gives. I can’t think of a single celeb of his status who hasn’t faced some sort of tumble. Not a career ender! After all, some people are STILL paying to see Adam Levine perform. But where he is, there’s too much pressure and there are too many ways to “fall” in this day of social media. I don’t know when or how but I really do think we’re catapulting there. And hey, if I’m wrong, then that’s a good thing! It means Harry truly is different than every other musician in the history of ever, and so, I will, I don’t know, send Jeff a fruit basket as an apology or something.

[arthropod-concoctions]

(AO3 - prev)

“Grian, I have great news, I- MY HAIR!” Scar yelled into Grian's ear, startling him so much he nearly dropped Scar's cane. He jumped away from his shulker monster to look at Scar, who was pointing at him accusingly. “What have you done to my luscious elven locks?”

“I waffled them,” Grian simply replied. Long hair was nice sometimes, but he wasn't in the mood for it at the moment, so he'd bundled it up for convenience. “What's the good news?”

“Oh, right. I figured out how to do the third eye thingy without dissapearing from the mortal plane! See, right now I can...” Scar trailed off, and his regular eyes went out of focus. “Oh my, you really have turned my hair into a waffle. But I can see the back of your head from here! Isn't that great?”

“Oh, that- that actually is great,” Grian replied. “That means we can actually look at the code I messed up. Do you wanna do that right now?”

“Sure,” Scar said, pulling up Grian's chat. “It's just a file in here, right?”

“Yep. Probably called Double Life... something.”

Scar tapped away into the device, his brow furrowing. “There's nothing called Double Life.”

“Oh, for goodness'...” Grian trailed off, trying to remember what he would've called it. “I probably shortened it in some stupid way... try 'dubl'. Like Dublin, without the last two letters.”

Scar snorted. “You think I know how to spell “Dublin?” Then his eyes flitted across the screen. “Wait, what's this? 'waystobringmumboback.txt'?”

“Scar, please stay focused-”

“No, I'm reading this. I want to see your ideas. 'Build a nice piston door'... yeah that could work.”

“Scar...” Grian started to walk towards Scar.

“'Build a BAD piston door'- oh, that might actually be smarter. These are good ideas, Grian!” Scar smiled at Grian, then looked back at the screen, squinting. “Bring back ari- bring back arinara-”

“SCAR!” Grian shouted, and nearly tackled Scar to the ground. They both started laughing. “Quit reading my private documents!”

Scar stuck the arm holding the chat into the air, in an attempt to keep it away from Grian-- he simply plucked it out of his hand. “I'm the taller one now, Scar, that isn't going to-”

The device vanished, and reappeared in Scar's hand. Right. It was impossible to take someone's chat device away from them, unless your name was Grian and you were godawful at coding.

Scar rolled over on the floor, still laughing. “Sorry, Sorry. I'll behave. What was the file called again?”

“Nah, forget it,” Grian responded, grabbing some firework rockets. “Class is cancelled. I'm gonna go follow your advice.”

---

“Cub!” Grian called out, as he approached the outside of Total Chaos. Cub looked up from the mess of redstone he was standing in, and waved at him.

“Hey, Scar- no, wait, you're Grian now, aren't you?” he said, as he hopped down onto the floor.

“That's right. And he's been having a whale of a time flying around as me, and he told me you are the man to come to to have- to do cool things as Scar.”

Cub thought for a moment, then smiled deviously. “Ah, you want to learn the ways of the vex?”

“Is that what I've just... yeah, alright, sure,” Grian responded.

“Awesome! Oh, this is gonna be sick. Alright, follow me inside, I'll get some stuff sorted,” Cub said, and led Grian into the interior of Total Chaos.

Grian sat down on the carpet while Cub vanished into some nook of the building. He came back a minute later, holding two icy blue masks; one with a happy face, one with a sad face.

“Alright, this is- well, this is Scar's mask,” Cub said, as he held out the smiling mask to Grian, then briefly pulled it back. “You don't really smile as much as him, though, so maybe we should swap- actually, no, I don't know what the consequences of that would be.” he shook his head, and held out the mask again.

“...Should I be concerned about any of this?” Grian asked as he took the mask.

“Nah, don't worry dude, you'll be fine,” Cub replied. “Just put on the mask, relax, get comfortable. I'll do the hard stuff. Don't panic, alright?”

“...Okay,” Grian said, Cub's words entirely failing to comfort him. Still, he put on the mask and watched as Cub did the same. He very softly heard Cub whispering something-

Then things began to get weird. Grian's colour vision began to shift, everything turning into shades of blue and grey. Cub's skin slowly turned blue, and at once his hair rapidly shifted from black to white. Grian felt his own body change as well; he felt lighter, and the ache in his legs he was slowly getting used to faded into the distance. Grian didn't panic. He felt great, actually.

Cub smiled at Grian; somehow, he could see his mouth, even though the mask he was wearing was opaque. “You wanna go prank Keralis?” he asked, and his voice sounded very high-pitched, yet somehow normal.

Grian smiled as well. “You bet!” he replied.

---

Flying as a vex was a different sensation entirely from using his wings. Grian barely had to angle his body to accelerate to incredible speeds. At one point he was speeding towards a big tree, and started to panic as he couldn't slow his momentum enough to avoid it; but then he simply passed through the branches as if they weren't there. It felt a bit like being in spectator mode.

Grian followed Cub all the way to Keralis' starter house, and when they arrived, Cub pulled pocketfuls of blue tinsel out of his inventory, and handed some to Grian. They barely had to exchange a word as they both set out to cover Keralis' house in the stuff. Grian zipped through the house, passing through hallways and walls, smiling the whole time. He wasn't sure if he was just giddy from the flying or some kind of vexy effect from the mask.

Once the house was sufficiently tinseled up, Grian and Cub flew away from the house and settled down on top of a nearby tree to admire their work.

“Oh, baby, Christmas came early!” Cub said to Grian, who laughed in response. Instinctively, Grian reached for the cane which he'd gotten used to having at his hip. It wasn't there. He thought back, and realised he'd left the cane behind somewhere in the house to hold more tinsel. He hadn't felt the effects then, but he was starting to now.

Grian's smile faded. He started to panic. “Cub, i-” he started, but stopped talking as the world changed back to normal with a flash. Grian lost his balance from the shock, and fell.

He dropped unceremoniously onto the ground next to the tree. The fall wasn't long enough to kill him, but it hurt quite a bit. Grian looked up to see Cub gliding down towards him, his face obscured by the mask.

Cub let out a high-pitched warble which Grian couldn't understand. Then he shook his head and pulled off his mask, revealing a concerned face. “Sorry. You good?” he asked.

“I lost the cane,” Grian said, trying to sit up. “I left Scar's cane in the house somewhere.”

Immediately, Cub pulled the cane out of his inventory and handed it to Grian, crouching. “I got you. Scar did that all the time as well, don't worry about it.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Grian took the cane, and tried to stand up, but failed. Even after eating a golden carrot to recover his injuries, his legs still hurt too much to stand on. “It's not... it's not working. The cane isn't working anymore, Cub.”

Cub nodded. “I'll go get a chair. Be right back.”

Cub flew off on his elytra, leaving Grian alone at the base of the tree. He was back quickly enough, bringing a wheelchair with him.

“Thanks,” Grian said as Cub put the wheelchair down and helped him into it. He sighed. “This sucks, Cub.”

“Yeah, that was my bad. Vexing can be a little intense, maybe we should've-”

“No, not the vex stuff. That was great,” Grian interrupted him. “I mean this... this whole situation.”

“Like, I've been working with Scar to try and get us back to normal, and he is not cooperating in the slightest. Which is annoying, but... I can't really blame him? Like, he's been running and flying around and having a great time, while I'm-” Grian gestured to the wheelchair. “It feels like he's upgraded and I've downgraded, and- no wonder he's being so obtuse! I want to go back, but I feel terrible asking him to.”

Grian took a deep breath. “Sorry. None of this is your problem, really.”

“No, no, I get it. It makes sense,” Cub replied. He scratched his chin, and said: “I think you should just give Scar a bit of time, and he'll come around eventually. I mean, I've possessed other people before, and it's always fun for the first few weeks, but eventually you just want your own body back. And in the meantime, you can discover some cool stuff to do as well. Heck, we just did!”

Grian nodded. “Yeah, I hope you're right. Thanks.”

“Wait, what do you mean you've possessed people before?”

“Should I show you how to attach your elytra to the chair?”

(next)

[talaok]

Could I request a fluffy (maybe smut after if you’re up for it, if not that’s okay!) Tyler Galpin x reader where they both go to the same school and are in a theater production with the 2 lead roles? I’m not sure what musicals you’ve watched but preferably a romance one. They rehearse so much together they end up dating and confessing after they do an onstage kiss 🥺

Pairing: Tyler Galpin x Fem! reader

summary: you and Tyler have the two lead roles in Mouline rouge and you inevitably start feeling things for each other.

warnings: none

A lot

Your heart was beating so fast you could feel the thumps in your eardrums. You heard someone call out your name but you didn't stop as you continued running. Floods of people were coming your way and you kept bumping into them. You were definitely gonna gave some bruises tomorrow but you couldn't think about it now. It was 3:30 and you were supposed to be there 15 minutes ago. If only Alice hadn't started vomiting words without a break you would have maybe remembered to look at a clock. but she had, and you hadn't, and your legs and your very not-used-to-it lungs were damning you for it right about now. You finally turned right at the end of the hallway and you thanked every existing being as you caught a glimpse of the theatre's doors. Those laminated pea-green doors had never looked more beautiful as you finally reached them. You ran through them so fast you almost fell, but you didn't, instead, you stabilized yourself and freezed at the entrance, your eyes shutting close as you braced yourself for the scolding inevitably coming your way. You could already see Mr. Hanrl's wrinkles deepening as he squinted at you with those creepy black eyes, threatening to throw you out of the play if you arrived late one more time. And you could already see yourself apologizing and walking head-down backstage while desperately trying not to laugh at his incredibly squeaky voice. So it was a surprise when instead of "I can't believe you arrived late again" you heard another voice, a much deeper and warm one ask "what are you doing?" Your eyes snatched open and they widened incredibly as you saw Tyler looking at you confusedly from the stage. The room fell silent and you felt drowned by the absolute absence of sound. God this was stupid. He was still looking at you, an amused smile on his face. "I" you couldn't help but laugh "I was waiting for Mr. Hanrl to yell at me" you smiled, as you gestured to what you now noticed empty seat, where he sat for every rehearsal. "Wait why isn't he there?" you looked around, taking in the completely empty room "wait" you gasped incredulously "did I arrive early?" He laughed softly, the sweet sound traveling through the distance between you straight to your ears. "no" he smiled "not at all" you frowned "Rehearsal was canceled" "oh" your eyes widened "but then-why are you here?" he scratched his neck "I didn't get the message, and from the look of it " he gestured towards you "you didn't either" You smiled "No, I definitely didn't" silence again "so" you cleared your throat "I guess I'll go then" your pressed your lips together in an awkward grimace "It was- It was nice seeing you" "Oh" he said, almost disappointed "Y-yeah it was nice seeing you too" You tried to examine his face when you heard his tone dropping, but you didn't gather that much information to actually come to any type of conclusion. You waved hastily before turning around "wait y/n" you turned back around "we could-" he paused a moment "we could rehearse together" he bit his lip "you know, since no one is here and- and we have the whole theatre at our disposal " he started speaking fast "and we're the main characters and have so many scenes together" he was rambling, and your chest warmed "I think it would be good, no?" he caught his breath. You tried not to laugh. You didn't want him to think you were making fun of him, even if you sort of were. "Yes, it's a good idea Tyler" Oh how he loved when you said his name, it rolled off your tongue so easily, smooth like silk. He could listen to it forever. "great" he said, as you walked up to the stage. You were right in front of him "uhh" you hummed, rummaging through your bag "what scene should we do?" you said, finally finding the script. "well, last time we didn't get to finish the dressing room one" "Oh right" you smiled "that's a fun one " "it is" he agreed, reciprocating. "so we stopped just before you sang the last part of the song right?" "right" he nodded, as you did the same "so" he raised his eyebrows "I guess I'll start" You laughed softly "yeah, that seems about right" This was more awkward than you'd expected. he took some steps away, glancing at you amusedly one last time before clearing his throat. He started singing, and your mouth immediately turned upright. His voice was so smooth and low when he sang, it could fill the whole room the moment he opened his mouth. he was amazing, you had always thought it. Since the first rehearsal, he stood out. He was talented, and funny, and a great actor and- cute, god he was cute. It was hard at first to pretend you weren't fascinated by him, and you would still catch yourself sometimes staring at him a bit too long to be acceptable, but you got better. You could have a full conversation with him now, and as of lately you had been doing that a lot. Before rehearsal, after rehearsal, yesterday when he saw you in the hallway, and the day before at lunch. You had started to talk. A lot. And you absolutely loved it, he was so funny that at times you had to cover his mouth to make him stop. And he was clever, god he was clever. And not like, I can do math clever, no, he actually was smart, real-life smart. he knew what was going on around the world and knew how to engage in a conversation bout it, he knew about poetry, about books, and even if his favorite film was fight club (which normally would have been a huge red flag, if it wasn't for the fact he was the first man on earth to actually understand the meaning behind it) he still had great taste in them. And so talking to him came easily, and you started to enjoy it more and more as time passed. But now, now it wasn't easy. And you couldn't understand why. It was never awkward between you two, it was everything but. And as you started relieving all those encounters, all those times you had talked and talked and then talked some more, at times risking arriving late to class, you realized the common denominator. You were never alone. Other people were there, even if they weren't with you they were still present, they were in the hallway, in the canteen, on stage, there was always someone. And now it was just you, and him, sole. You didn't know why, I mean, it shouldn't have, but it did, it made sense. Being alone meant having no way out, no easy excuse, being alone meant privacy, and privacy meant having possibilities, chances, chances to do the things you stopped yourself from thinking of, from dreaming of, because there was no point, in deluding yourself of something when you knew it wouldn't happen. But it was hard, just knowing that those thoughts had been there at some point, it was hard pretending they hadn't. He was still singing, you noticed, as you awakened, and also closer to you. when had that happened? You just hoped you didn't look like an immobilized zombie all this time. he was smiling, like he was supposed to, and shit- you realized you were also meant to be doing the same. Right, you were rehearsing. Your expression changed, as you at least tried to get into the part. You were Satine, and Satine definitely didn't get distracted by a guy with a pretty voice. oh but she did. God, you were so fucked. He had walked up to right in front of you, and he put his arms on your waist as the song was about to end. His touch was warm, even if it was just against the t-shirt you were wearing, it still felt like he was touching your raw skin, burning it with his hands. You whimpered involuntarily, and hoped to god, or anyone listening that he hadn't heard. The slight sparkle in his eyes made you think otherwise. shit. his mouth closed into the happiest of smiles,( because he was a good actor, not because he was actually that happy to be close to you) as the song ended. You were inches apart, like you were supposed to be, like the script said, and your brain was buzzing and melting slowly and your heart was beating fast and you really fucking hated yourself. just be normal. my god. It shouldn't be that hard. He's just a boy. A normal, stupid, hot, funny, and clever boy. fuck He was still silent and your cheeks reddened as you realized you were supposed to say your line. "oh I can't believe it.  I'm in love" you paused for dramatic effect, and also, maybe, just maybe to catch your very weak breath "I'm in love with a young, handsome, talented duke" you breathed out incredulously. His eyes fell to your lips and you noticed how it also took him a moment to realize it was his turn. "duke?" he frowned, confused You laughed softly and his eyes glanced at your mouth again. Was he doing it on purpose? Was he that good of an actor? He must have been. "Not that the title is important, of course" There was something in his eyes- you'd never seen him like this"I'm not a duke" Your mind was completely somewhere else, but you could still somehow remember the lines "not a duke?" you said unconvincingly, and you felt like he wasn't there anymore, Tyler was there physically, but he wasn't the one holding you, talking to you. He stepped even closer to you, your two bodies now so close you could feel him, his warmth, his scent, everything. "I'm-" his eyes fell to your mouth again, and you really wished he would just lean in and kiss it "I'm," he said again, obviously distracted. This wasn't part of it. You knew. You glanced at him, and he met your eyes, a sparkle traveling between them, an understanding, a message, going from him to you. Everything suddenly fell silent and you began being very aware of your own breathing, your lungs inflating and deflating fast as you felt anxious, for what you didn't know, you just were. He smiled softly, looking straight at you and you swore your stomach dissolved. Was this really about to happen? Or were you imagining things? It was all so confusing All your doubts disappeared once he did it, he started leaning in. Not because of the script not because of the play but because he wanted to he wanted to kiss you You tilted your head to the left, granting him access and you could feel his lips, his beautiful pretty lips graze yours when the bell rang. he stopped so did you. You didn't want to look at him, he had regretted it it was fine it was a mistake you understood you took a step back, looking at the floor "I-I gotta go"

time passed and you never talked about that evening again. You remained friends, just as before. The day after he still sat at your table for lunch. You remember how scared you were. But then he started talking, and joking, and after the first 10 minutes, all was forgotten. Everything was fine, nothing happened, so nothing had to be weird. It made sense. That of course didn't mean your mind didn't travel back to it at times. For as much as you tried to stop it, the feeling of being so close to him always came back to you, and with that, questions. Questions like what would have happened if the bell hadn't rung, if you hadn't run away, or if he hadn't stopped. questions you were never gonna know the answer to.

"God I'm nervous" you sighed, as you sipped from your water bottle

"why?" he frowned "what do you mean why?" your eyes widened "the show's tomorrow" He laughed softly at your nervousness "you have nothing to worry about" he said, turning towards you "you're amazing y/n, you know that" he smiled "You're the best singer here" he continued " and not to mention actress" he chuckled "I mean, You knew all your lines on the first day" "you're gonna make me blush" you said like he already hadn't. "well maybe I like seeing you blush" You held your breath "you're an asshole" you rolled your eyes playfully He laughed, genuinely, wholeheartedly "I'm sorry" he smiled "if you want to we could run our lines some more" your heart fluttered, flashbacks from last time passing through your mind. "i-Uhh, sure" he smiled, like he knew, like he had just thought the same thing, because he had. "alright" he sat down on the stage, and you followed his lead. You had rehearsed for hours, you were tired. "so what's your least favorite scene?" he asked you were confused "what do you mean?" "Usually your least favorite scene is the one you need to practice more" he explained " y'know, because you don't like it, and your mind subconsciously tells you that it's ok to fuck it up" You frowned, as you smiled "and who said that" "I did" You laughed "oh well, then we're in great hands" "hey!" he feigned shock "it has always worked for me" "ok" you shook your head "so what's that scene for this play?" He thought for a moment "I think the balcony one is pretty tough" Your mouth slacked open in pretend offense "so the one you have to kiss me in" He laughed "Oh" he shook his head"not because of that" he said "definitely, not because of that" he glanced at you "you know that" definitely? "I did not know that" "well" he chuckled "now you do" "ok, so if it isn't because of my aberring mouth" you raised your eyebrows "then what is it for?" He grinned "the songs are difficult, and I have to be careful not to sing over you" You shrugged " you've never done that" "I know, but I could" "you wanna rehearse that one then?" you asked he raised his eyebrow smugly "you're that desperate to kiss me?" yes, most definitely. You punched his shoulder playfully "oh shut up" you rolled your eyes "and it's not like we were gonna kiss anyway" "Why is that?" "We don't kiss in rehearsal, Tyler" "We could make an exception" he smirked "I mean, it would only be right if we tried it out once before doing it on stage, no?" Your cheeks were red. "I-" you swallowed nervously "If-If you believe so" "I just think it makes sense" "y-yea. It does" you smiled shyly, and you could see relief wash over his face. "all right then" he stood up, to get to the center of the stage "come here sweetheart" he said sarcastically, and you knew it was a joke, but that didn't stop your heart from speeding up at the pet name. "right away my love" you joked, walking up to him. You felt electric, dizzy almost as you stopped right in front of him. he was tall, and his hazel eyes were hypnotizing. he put his hands on your waist, and you didn't give yourself time to think about it before you put your arms around his neck. "ok" you breathed out shakily "you have to say something before right?" he asked "oh right" you laughed softly, taking a moment to remember what it was you were supposed to say. Ok, you got it You looked at him "you're gonna be bad for business, I can tell" you said and he smiled, before he leaned in, placing his lips on yours. You felt so light you would have flown away if it wasn't for his hands keeping you grounded. And he felt right, like he was finally sure. He leaned away, and both of you smiled. "Well I think we're good at this part" he said "yup" you smiled, taking your arms off of him to take a step back. Something in his face changed when you did, what looked like uncertainty glanced into his eyes. "We're ready for tomorrow then" you smiled, to relieve some tension. "absolutely" he agreed

the red and blue lights were emerging from every direction and you felt like you were in a dream as you sang with him, with Tyler. The soft music resonating in the theatre, mixing heavenly with your voices. he walked up to you, in the same place he had been in yesterday, and as you sang together the last lines you felt your body warm, at that indescribable feeling. "you're gonna be bad for business, I can tell" you said, your voice echoing in the room, before he kissed you. Little shivers traveled down your spine, as the contact took your breath away. You weren't supposed to feel that way for a fake kiss, you knew. Just like he knew. The curtains closed as the music reached its climax and you leaned away, breathing heavily. You smiled once you noticed some of your lipstick on his lips. "we were great" you couldn't help but hug him. You knew it was the end of the first act, and that you were supposed to rush backstage to change, but you wanted to feel close to him, you needed to. "you're amazing y/n" he stroked your hair "I never doubted we were gonna be" You looked up at him, your chin against his chest "thank you" you said sincerely, tightening your hug. " I should go change" you said "me too" none of you moved "I-" you were about to let him go when he stopped you. "y/n" he said, the light illuminating only the left side of his face "I-" he took a deep breath, and you frowned "y/n I've been wanting to tell you this for the longest time" there was so much fear in his eyes "I really wanted to, but- but I was scared and-" he chuckled " and you made me so fucking nervous" you smiled too now "but- but now I have to, because if I don't I'm scared I never will" his pupils were scanning frantically your whole face "y/n I like you" he smiled anxiously "I like you, like- a lot" Your face lit up, as your body shut down. He had said it He had said it for real. "Tyler" you murmured "I like you too" you smiled "a lot"

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

i think the problem with the fam is theyre too obedient. theyre such goody two shoes the hope is that it'd rub off right? on the doctor. but it doesnt bc she hides her badness and they wont question her. okay they'll question her "what happened to never do weapons" "why dont you ever share anything with us" but they wont push back when she says nah ah we dont talk about that. and thats her problem. she wont talk about that. or that. or that. or that. or any of it

i think if you put a limit on their patience. theyre understanding but not forever (i mean theyre even understanding after her "death". "she knew she was gonna do something that might kill her" "she wanted us to live"). watch them grow more annoyed as they call out hypocrisies and less and less willing to accept bullshit answers. it would put a lot of movement in the dynamic i think

like okay, taking yaz out of the equation bc shes not a companion shes a doctor, just considering ryan and graham for now: ryan is young and like, being formed, which is part of his arc, but he also already has a lot of like really life- and worldview-shaping experiences right? black, disabled, unable to count on most of the guardians in his life. those things profoundly shape how you stand in the world, how you approach and are approached

and okay lets put yaz back in for a sec because shes really interesting to like put next to ryan and see like what happens there. because she and ryan share both being racialised and being neurodivergent, if you want to call it that (if depression counts. personally i think depression is more of a like regular human reaction to life than "divergence" from the "typical" so to say, but then i also think the secret underlying reason she was bullied and thus depressed was the autism. so it cancels out for me. but like thats sort of weaving in and out the text. and depression also is something very different from dyspraxia. BUT these are both things about them that like have been Underlined for us the audience, same as the conversation behind the bins in rosa, so i think im justified in putting these two things together as comparison. okay tangent over)

ryan and yaz both have had experiences of not being able to count on the people around them, for various reasons but all the same. it would be fairly understandable i think for ryan to be sort of like, fuck adults fuck people who have authority over me based on nothing. whereas yaz,,,,becomes the authority

RYAN: Yeah, see? It's not like Rosa Parks wipes out racism from the world forever. Otherwise, how come I get stopped way more by the police than my white mates? YASMIN: Oi, not this police.

and you could really have put them like,,not opposite per se but like clashing in some way over this. not clashing like in fighting necessarily, though yes as in conflict. clashing as in different ideals, different conclusions drawn from similar experiences

yaz says to do good in the world i must have the power of the state. which also implies the power of the state can be good and is meant to be good. ryan i can easily imagine having been someone who no authority was worth counting on so fuck them all. that wouldve been a reaaally interesting tension to see play out throughout s11 and s12 i think

and thats just two of them. we've got a team of four. imagine both of their reactions to the doctor. we dont have to imagine with yaz, but ryan couldve been more like well whos she. you know? why are we listening to her? what just because she says so? let her prove herself first.

and then theres graham who has like half a lifetime of experience of Being A Human on them, who isnt in the coming of age phase anymore, who must have a lot of his own worldview, ideas, politics. we see like, a tiny bit of that with like edison or whatever but how does that play with a Time LordTM?

like theres a lot of interesting ways to pair up and to clash them! 13 and yaz with suicidal ideation, 13 and ryan on the dad thing, 13 and graham on survivors guilt. 13 and yaz vs ryan and graham on authority and law. ryan vs graham and 13 on guardians. ryan and yaz vs 13 and graham on being racialised. 13 and yaz vs ryan and graham on sexism. this couldve been a wildly dynamic team i think. if only you'd let them fight! if only you'd let them have their own opinions and Speak Them. this would put like so much schwung in like,, every plot, every episode

because it's all there! right? it's all already there, just look at the episode list of s11, it's all there, racism, sexism, workers, colonialism, big fucking spiders i dont know! wait thats a worker one again let me revise big fucking spiders capitalism! it's all there, you just gotta make it a bit dialectical. have them argue their sides and disobey and have 13 be like herding cats

imagine the way this would have challenged the doctor and the doctor's politics, then to follow it up with s12 "gallifrey is not what we think it is. we are not what we think we are"

and then revolution of the daleks, ryan and graham gone, and in that episode the police was very obviously like sided with the daleks and the capitalist and that politician right? the police was the fascists. hi, yasmin, how are you. oh, crazy? right, good, the doctor is too.

yaz and 13, now alone, ten months between revolution and flux, time to grapple with what it means to be both victim and agent of an empire. do we accept that? do we refuse that role? how do we refuse that role? how do we be good? what does it mean to be good if police clearly isnt it? how do we take off the uniforms. what moral framework do we build and then commit to, and hold each other accountable to, as copilots of this operation. what do we want to do in the universe. what is our impact. what do we want to avoid doing. how do we do that.

had the doctor said "i was in prison for being me" to yaz, imagine how that would have shaken up her ideas about prisons and how and why people might be in them. might have started her thinking. but then we're back to where i started this post before i totally lost control of it: The Doctor Doesnt Talk About That. and if the fam had been slightly more disobedient in s11, maybe in revolution there would have been place for it